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Tour notes

Each departure date has it's own dedicated tour note, detailing all you need to know about that tour. Whether you've already booked, or weighing up your options, please choose carefully the relevant itinerary for you.

We have the following different versions of the Wonders Of The Silk Road tour available at present.

Name

Tour Name

Tour Code

What Was The Highlight Or Most Memorable Moment Of Your Tour

Samarkand (all sights), Khiva and Bukhara walking tours, home meal

How Was Your Explore Tour Leader

Excellent

What Tips Would You Give To Someone Else Booking This Tour

Uzebkistan is great; Turkmenistan is OK as an add on. Take plenty of immodium and other stomach upset pills and lots of antibacterial hand gel or wipes. Take a hat or brolly against the sun, and sunscreen. Insect repellent was useful a couple of times, and something the stop the bites itching. Take a torch - the hotel in Bukhara is a 20 minute walk from the centre down unlit streets after dinner. Take your longest shorts - over the knee is guaranteed to be OK, and if above the knee the longer the better - it's not just short shorts which can be a problem. Don't eat at the place by the fountain in Bukhara - we can't be sure it it is top choice for making several people on our trip really ill (fountain water splashes into drinks/food, and the pool looks pretty stagnant.

Do You Have Anything Else To Add

Need more time in Samarkand - little more than 24 hours and all a rush. Need hotel to be booked for following day to shower before o/night train and avoid having to pack up at crack of dawn for the 3rd day running. Didn't mind paying to keep the rooms - but no guarantee option always available. Bukhara hotel Bukhara - only one we had 3 nights- is a real let down. Standard OK but 20 minute long hot walk from the centre, down alleys full of potholes and puddles and unlit at night. There's a lot of time here, but it is so hot you want to pop back to the hotel for a rest/shower - but it's such an arduous walk in 40 degrees - and really unnerving at night if you are on your own - that it's Hobson's choice.

0JD,
23/12/10

Chris Bradley and our two local guides made a fantastically informative team and taught us a huge amount about the history, politics and culture of the region. The architecture was dazzling, the desert scenery wonderful and the people friendly and hospitable. Samarkand, Khiva and Bukhara were as beautiful and as romantic as their names suggest, but the revelation for me was Turkmenistan, an intriguing country at a political and economic crossroads. Altogether, it was an unforgettable experience, one of my top favourites of all the Explore trips I've done, despite the tedium of the border crossings and the upset stomachs. My advice is to take extra passport photos and Immodium; you'll probably need them. And be prepared to use your elbows when you arrive at Tashkent Airport, a chaotic place where queuing is an alien concept. (SUZ - 1st October 2010)

0GH,
17/11/10

There were many many highlights. In particular the beautiful mosques, mausoleums and madrasahs. The stunning architecture and beautiful decorations of many Islamic buildings. I also enjoyed the overnight train journey. Unexpected: that so many people in my group got sick. The long delays getting in and out of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan - the bureaucracy. Advice: be prepared for the long drives through uninspiring countryside. Be aware of the costs for the visas. Check on the temperatures BEFORE you go! (SUZ -1st October 2010)